Motor vehicle window assemblies may include one or more sliding windows that move either in a horizontal or vertical direction. Various sliding window assemblies may be operated manually or driven by an actuator or motor.
For example, sliding window assemblies may be utilized as rear slider windows or backlights for pickup truck type vehicles. In such applications, the window assemblies may be housed within a frame that is positioned in an opening in a back portion of the cab of the pickup. The sliding windows may move horizontally relative to the frame to allow for opening and closing of a portion of the window assembly. Typically, such sliding window assemblies may include one or more fixed windows and a moveable window.
It is desirable to provide the rear backlight or window assembly of a pickup truck with a defrost grid to remove fog or ice from the windows and apply a heating force to melt the ice or snow that may accumulate on the window assembly. In such a heated backlight, wires or other structures may be embedded in the glass which carries an electrical current to heat the glass locally and melt or remove the fog or ice. In such applications, the sliding window may include contacts or electrical elements that are linked with a fixed window to transmit the electrical current for a power source to the various windows of the window assembly. However, such assemblies typically operate in a limited number of positions. For example, current prior art window assemblies may have contacts that transmit electrical current when the sliding window is in a closed position. However, when the sliding window is moved or in an open position the contacts do not provide electrical current to a heater grid of the window. There is therefore a need in the art for a heated sliding window assembly having a heater grid that is operational through the entire movement range of a sliding window between open and closed positions. Additionally, there is a need in the art for a heated sliding window assembly that provides a continuity within an electrical circuit such that additional applications in a vehicle are not lost when a sliding window assembly is moved. There is a further need in the art for a power sliding window assembly in which a continuous electrical current may be provided to various windows within the window assembly throughout the motion of a sliding window of the assembly.